Difficult Conversation
by Baltimore Raven
Summary: On an evening shortly after Rapunzel's return, she sat down with her parents and explained what life had been like growing up under Gothel. Eugene realized something was truly bothering her when she bit her lip and left for her room the second they'd agreed to call it a night. Unwilling to let her suffer alone, he knocked on her door. One-shot.


**A/N: Real quickly,** **I would like to note that this does contain possible triggers for anxiety and depression. I wrote this _ages_ ago during a time in which I was being verbally/emotionally abused and I realized how much I could connect with Rapunzel's story in that way. At the time, writing this was sort of my way of trying to figure out answers. But I rediscovered this story recently and finally decided to publish it. Again, though, trigger warnings for a panic attack along with mentions of emotional abuse/the aftermath of such abuse. **

**I don't own Tangled!**

* * *

Rapunzel paced down the empty hall, the tile cool against her bare feet as she hurried to her room. Every barrier was fading fast.

That had been one of the most difficult conversations of her life. Going through – in _painful_ detail – what had happened to her, so that her parents could understand and perhaps finally have closure. But despite being among people she loved, the memories that erupted were heart-wrenching to say the least. Not wanting to upset her newly-found parents, though, she had swallowed hard and forced her tears to stay inside. She kept a calm appearance and shoved aside anything she could that she had known would have made her upset.

But the second she stood up, her mother – her _real_ mother – had caught her up in a tight, protective embrace. Rapunzel had almost lost control in that moment, but inhaled deeply through her nose and managed to steady herself.

Just after stepping out of her mother's arms, though, Rapunzel had quickly excused herself and disappeared around the corner. She knew that her parents and Eugene would be concerned, but in that moment the only thing she wanted to do was make it to her room before her barriers crashed down.

It was there, in that cold hallway, that she finally started breaking.

 _It's your fault,_ smirked a voice in her head that sounded far too much like Gothel's. _It's your own fault that you stayed in that tower for so long, you naïve child._

Rapunzel's breathing hastened unsteadily. She was just feet from the large door leading to her room.

 _You've caused them so much worry and trouble._

Sobs starting to break through, Rapunzel rushed forward and threw open the door only to step inside and close it again.

 _You're always the problem, aren't you?_

She pressed her back against the door as the room's darkness pressed in on her. Hot tears ran down her face and she struggled to breathe properly as she slid to the floor. "No," she whimpered against the voice in her head, but somehow couldn't find it in herself to really drive it away.

 _You're the reason he died._

A soft knock radiated from the door and echoed throughout the hollowness of the room. "Rapunzel?" came Eugene's warm, gentle voice just as Rapunzel hid her face in her knees, wondering how much more she could take. She reluctantly scooted aside and started leaning against the wall when she felt the pressure against her back of Eugene pushing the door open.

He didn't say a word. After all, he knew what was wrong – he'd seen the way she'd squeezed her eyes shut or bit her lip to stop it from quivering. He'd known the pain and grief that had been contained within that conversation. It needed to be talked about, yes, but that didn't make it easy. Even he'd had to grab onto Rapunzel's hand a couple of times. But between growing up in an orphanage and spending years as a thief, he'd become almost used to memories that felt more like nightmares. Rapunzel, on the other hand, hadn't even realized that Gothel wasn't her birthmother until a few days earlier. The former blonde had grown up sheltered, high above the turmoil that had become the world.

This was one reason why Eugene's heart broke when he saw her curled up against the yellow wall of her room, sobbing and rocking herself and doing anything she could to break free of the hold that recent events had on her. She'd been so full of innocence and life, and all it had taken was one birthday to shatter that.

All he did was sit down next to her and put a gentle hand on her shoulder. He wanted her to know that he was there, but if she needed space, that was okay.

In all actuality, though, space was one of the last things she needed. She reached up and clung to his hand, which was all the signal he needed. He gathered her shaking form into his arms. Her head nestled into the crook of his neck as he rubbed up and down her back. His pulse against her ear was soothing, a firm reminder that he'd made it out okay.

They stayed like that for several minutes. He pressed his lips to the top of her head and inhaled deeply, recognizing the slight trace of paint fumes she always carried with her.

Eugene didn't try to speak until Rapunzel's breathing had calmed. Once the tears slowed, he finally murmured, "Hey, what's wrong?"

Of course he knew mainly what had brought this on, what with the long talk and the events of the days previous, but it would have taken some specific piece of the story to make her this upset. He knew all too well that not talking about it would only make it worse.

"I can't…can't get her…out of my head…" her broken, struggling voice got out. Another raw accusation rang through her mind and she clutched the short hair close to her temples. "Make it stop! Eugene, please, make it stop!"

"Whoa, hey, easy there, all right? I'm right here," he calmed her. "I'm right here. Just breathe." Keeping one arm snugly around her shoulders, he eased her hands away from her head and into his hold. He pressed a kiss to her temple. "You're talking about Gothel, aren't you?" he whispered. When she nodded, grass-green eyes locked behind shut eyelids, he sighed sadly. Of course, he wasn't surprised, but it hurt nonetheless to know that her former captor had left her with jagged, invisible scars.

"It's her voice…in my head…" she breathed, starting to feel sick. A sob escaped her. "And it won't stop!"

"Okay," Eugene nodded slowly. He was beginning to understand. "Rapunzel, you know it's not actually Gothel you're hearing, right? She's gone. She can't hurt you anymore."

"It sounds like her," came Rapunzel's small whimper.

"It's not. Well, not directly. You're probably just having old memories come up." Eugene held on just a little tighter. "Rapunzel…what's her voice saying?"

At the query, the eighteen-year-old inhaled shakily. "That it's my fault, that I'm not strong enough, that I've caused nothing but trouble, that _I'm always the problem_ …"

"Rapunzel-"

"That I'm the reason you died," she whispered at last, these words so quiet that he wouldn't have heard her without being so close.

That tore his heart in two. "Rapunzel…" he struggled for words, praying his voice wouldn't break, "It wasn't your fault…"

"Wasn't it?"

He shook his head. "No. Rapunzel, look at me." After some coaxing, the shimmering emeralds in her eyes finally met the deep umber laid within his own. "What you're hearing, it's all lies. Don't believe them."

"What?"

"I've learned that once you've been through something awful… it's like your memories start playing tricks on you. You start to blame yourself. But you shouldn't."

She burrowed deeper into him as the air grew colder. "So what do I do?" the brunette asked desperately.

"You tell it to shut up. You remember the truth. You _tell it the truth_ ," he told her, "And you're gonna have to fight it - maybe for a little while, maybe for a long time. But it'll all be so, so worth it in the end."

She shook her head. "Eugene, I actually believed it was perfectly fine that I was locked in a tower for eighteen years! I don't know how this works! I believe just about anything! How am I supposed to fight this when half the time, I can't tell the truth from a lie?!"

"Well, I know one thing: you can't fight it alone."

A tiny sob escaped her. "It was all my fault," she whispered.

"No, it wasn't."

"You should never have come back for me."

"That's one of the few decisions I've made that I don't regret one bit."

"I'm a disgrace."

"Now _that_ ," he murmured, tightening his arms around her, "Couldn't be further from the truth.

"Rapunzel, you are the most amazing woman I've ever met. You care about people, and you look at the world with an innocence I only wish I could have held onto. And, as much as it hurts my pride to say this, you weren't fooled by the smolder."

She slowly met his eyes. Confusion shone across her countenance.

"What I mean to say is, you saw past Flynn and you saved me."

For a long moment, all she could do was watch him. His eyes shone with the greatest sincerity she had ever witnessed in another human being. "I did?" she breathed.

He nodded, hiding his own gathering tears by pressing his lips to her forehead.

For several minutes, they sat in comfortable silence just holding onto one another. But finally, a small smile found its way onto Rapunzel's lips. "Hey, Eugene?"

"Yeah?"

She almost laughed at the thought of what she was about to ask. "Can…can we go get some ice cream?"

Eugene chuckled and rose to his feet before extending a hand out to help Rapunzel. "Come on, Blondie. Any flavor you want."

With a grin, she took his hand and pulled herself up. "Ooh, even mint chip?"

"Oh, um…not mint chip, actually. I forgot about that. The kitchen staff said some handsomely roguish legend came down and ate it all last night." He slid an arm around her shoulders as hers encircled his middle.

"Oh…" she shrugged as they started walking towards the doorway, "Then I guess chocolate will do."

She felt him stiffen just a little. "Um, yeah, about that…"

"Eugene!"

They rounded the corner and side-by-side headed towards the kitchen, laughing the whole way.


End file.
